It all started when…I heard him with Steve Freund at Lou’s Pier 47 way back in the 90’s, and i thought he was a great drummer and a hec of a nice guy. —Cathy Lemons

Robbie Bean is an active and well-known figure in the San Francisco Bay Area blues music community. Bean is a hard working drummer, sometimes performing three shows in a day. The list of luminaries he has performed with are impressive: Chris Cain, Dan Hicks, Maria Muldaur, Paris Slim, Carlos Guitarlos, Rusty Zinn, Cathy Lemons & Johnny Ace, Paul Oscher, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, Steve Freund, and Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums, and many more.

Bean even drummed with Primus for approximately six months in 1986, shortly after the band's initial formation. While he did not appear on any official demo tapes or recordings, he was instrumental in developing many early Primus songs that would later become fan favorites.

He has also been a featured musician in groups such as The Steve Kimball Blues Trio. 

He has worked on and off with Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz for 25 plus years and has been on several of their recordings including Blind Spot and In Any Town.